Earthquake Fact Sheets

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1895 Halloween Earthquake

Midwest Shaken a Century Ago

A moderately strong earthquake struck the midwest at 5:07 AM (Central Standard Time) October 31, 1895. The quake, centered in Charleston Missouri, had an estimated magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale. It was felt as far away as Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and Topeka. Although the quake was...

Northern Illinois Earthquakes

Small Quake Shakes the Area

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake shook northern Illinois at 11:17 am Tuesday September 2, 1999. Centered near Dixon in central Lee County, it was felt over a several county area, but there have been no reports of damage. Many residents in the Dixon area felt the ground shaking and mistook it for a quarry blast...

Wabash Valley Earthquakes

A Dozen Moderate Quakes in a Century

People living in the Wabash Valley area are not surprised to learn that this is "earthquake country". Earthquakes have shaken houses here in nearly every decade this century. For instance, a November 1958 earthquake shook up fans at the Mt. Carmel-Princeton, IN football game. Ten...

Damaging Earthquakes In Illinois

Illinois Shaken by Occasional Quakes

Earthquakes occur in Illinois about once every year. But damaging quakes are much less frequent. Minor damage from Illinois earthquakes is reported about once every 20 years. Most recently a 5.0 magnitude shook southeastern Illinois in June 1987, causing minor damage in the Lawrenceville and Olney...

Earthquake Occurrence In Illinois

An Earthquake Every Year

The historical record of earthquakes having epicenters in Illinois begins on January 8, 1795. On that date a mild earthquake occurred near Fort Kaskaskia on the Mississippi River in southwestern Illinois. During the 200 years since that event there have been about 200 other earthquakes in Illinois. Only nine of these quakes were strong enough to cause even minor damage. The largest Illinois earthquake ever recorded occurred on November 9, 1968, and measured 5.4 on the Richter scale. The last damaging earthquake in Illinois occurred on June 10, 1987, near Olney in southeast Illinois. This quake measured 5.0 on the...